George Mason University, Long and Kimmy Nguyen Engineering Building

Edgemoor served as the turnkey developer for this project, which contains 80,000 square feet of academic space, including classrooms and faculty offices, and 80,000 square feet of research space.

Additionally, 20,000 square feet of private lease space creates an environment for collaborative research between the university and the private sector. In addition to managing the design and construction, Edgemoor also Edgemoor provided other turnkey development services, including testing, site coordination, inspections, utility coordination, move-in coordination, third party leasing, tenant fit-out and fundraising support. Edgemoor proposed several financing options to the client, but GMU received tax-exempt funding from the Commonwealth of Virginia to fund it.
The Long and Kimmy Nguyen Building is the home of the Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia and is the first university project to be delivered under the PPEA legislation in Virginia.

First PPP Transaction

The Long & Kimmy Nguyen Building was the first higher education
PPEA project in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As such, there were no
precedent documents or structures to rely on during contract
negotiations.

Solution

Edgemoor developed a risk allocation matrix based on its prior PPP
experience, and used that as a template to raise and negotiate key
project agreement terms. As a result, Edgemoor and GMU worked
collaboratively through the contractual issues on this turnkey delivery
project.

Risk on Early Development Activities

Due to the limited programmatic information early in the process, Edgemoor was at risk to complete the design within budget in a manner that would achieve not only all campus approvals, and State Architectural Review Board approvals, but also deliver functional and flexible interior space that met the end-users needs, in a building with three separate, but integrated programs – academic, research, and third-party tenants.

Solution

Edgemoor led a collaborative design process with GMU that integrated the campus facilities staff and end-user groups with the development team, architects, engineers, and construction team. Through techniques such as weekly meetings, on-line collaboration, and co-location of key personnel, Edgemoor was able to gain all campus and State project approvals, end-user sign-offs on their space, and maintain the guaranteed price and schedule provided at the beginning of the process.

Management of Turnover/Move-In

Coordinating the logistics of building completion, commissioning,
systems furniture delivery/assembly, and tenant move-in and occupancy
can determine whether a project is ultimately viewed as a success or
not.

Solution

Edgemoor developed a plan early in the project cycle to manage the
initial occupancy and turnover of the building. The approach included a
detailed schedule of activities, floor availability, third-party vendor
deliveries, when specific work activities within the building could
occur, and most importantly end-user move in requirements. The
implementation strategy ensured a smooth move-in for all building
occupants.

Tom Calhoun

Vice President, George Mason University

GMU Lifecycle Infographic

We understand that every client is different and that each project will contain some, if not all, of the Project Lifecycle elements. The George Mason University Long and Kimmy Nguyen Engineering Building, structured as a Turnkey Design-Build (TDB) project, included the following lifecycle elements:

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